Beware of the 'Summer Slide'!

As written on the Reading is Fundamental website, “something is waiting for many children every summer, and parents don’t even know it’s there. It’s called the 'Summer Slide' and it describes what happens when young minds sit idle for three  months. ...Summer reading loss is cumulative: By the end of sixth grade, children who lose reading skills over the summer will be two years behind their classmates. 

"As parents approach summer break, they’re often thinking about vacations, trips to the pool and other activities, but they might not be focusing on how much educational ground their children can lose, especially when it comes to reading. To  compensate for the Summer Slide, teachers must often spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. Families have a major role in motivating their children to read during the summer."

The non-profit children's literacy group Reading is Fundamental offers strategies parents can employ to encourage reading:

• Combine activities with books. If you’re going to the ball park or to the zoo, read a book about it first.
• Lead by example. Let your child catch you reading.
• Help kids find time to read. Remember to schedule quiet time for your child.
• Relax the rules for summer. Let your children choose their own books, and don’t set time limits.
• Read aloud to your kids. Take your children to a storyteller, or become one yourself no matter what their age.
• Visit the library. In addition to a large selection of books to borrow, libraries have fun programs for children.

And that’s where the Bay Village Branch Library comes in. There are summer programs from storytimes, to music, to live animals that will keep your children excited about books the whole summer. Play the Summer Reading Game to make reading extra fun, and keep your children off the Summer Slide. Join us when the game kicks off on June 9, get a gameboard and get going!